This week, to the best of our estimation, marks the 20th anniversary of the first issue of CoolCleveland. The aura that surrounded this region in 2002 still pervades the streets, alleys, warehouses and waterfront of Northeast Ohio.Meanwhile, we continue to be astonished with the all the atmosphere: view a film on Magic Lantern shows at the Cinematheque, participate in a session on making the metaverse a better place from Better World Day, sing for justice with Windsong Feminist Chorus, walk or run at Edwins’ 5K Grind to benefit their reentry programs, or just hang out at the grand opening of Studio West 117, a brand new LGBTQ+ complex at the former Phantasy location.
Early voting is now open in Ohio, (see below for a PHOTOSTREAM of the first day), so don’t hesitate marking your ballots. This week, CoolCleveland comes out for Chelsea Clark for Ohio Secretary of State with an ENDORSEMENT, and calls out a disgusting ad on the I Heart Radio network. Something stinks, and we need to fix it this election season.
SOZU, which just opened at Pinecrest, is the first store of its kind offering a “farm to table” fashion concept, with a visible cut-and-sew operation at its 2,200 square foot store. CoolCleveland’s fashion maven Dru Thompson visited to learn about their business and brought back a report, photos and video. Read more
The Rock Hall has just announced that its website, rockhall com, is now available in Spanish with the click of a button. This follows months of working to make in-house content more bilingual and precedes plans for an exhibit on Spanish-language rock. Read more
I was listening to Cleveland pop music station 96.5 Kiss FM, part of the giant I Heart Radio network, when an ad came on, attacking transgender people in a sleazy unspooling of hate. It suggested that there was a movement afoot to turn boys into girls and girls into boys. It said ominously that boys would be taking over “your daughter’s” bathroom and sports teams and demanded that the listener “tell Joe Biden” to stop this unnatural activity.While the ad was preceded by a disclaimer saying that it didn’t reflect the views of the station, its presence on the air suggests that I Heart Radio is ok with being complicit in attempts to strip some Americans of their rights because of who they are. Apparently they’re OK with an ad that could drive rejection, violence and even murder. Read more
The story of Meat Loaf’s 1977 debut album Bat Out of Hell, which became one of the best-selling albums of all time, is a Cleveland story. That’s why it’s appropriate that the Music Box Supper Club in Cleveland is hosting a 45th anniversary celebration of the album’s release.
Clevelander Steve Popovich was a rising star in the NYC music business when he adopted the record no one wanted, moved back to Cleveland and started a label to promote it, working doggedly until the album became a hit. His son has since revived the late mogul’s label and is hosting the event, which features some of the musicians who performed with Mr. Loaf, including vocalists Karla DeVito and Ellen Foley. Read more
Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose is fond of talking out of both sides of his mouth. He’s congratulated himself for running a smooth, fraud-free 2020 election as Ohio’s top election official. But to court favor with Donald Trump, he’s suggested Ohio needs to work to root out nonexistent fraud. And he’s a member of the redistricting commission who voted over and over for illegal maps.Hamilton County businesswoman Chelsea Clark, LaRose’s opponent, has a list of ways she’ll make it easier to vote, things that have been done in other states with no increase in “voter fraud.” And she’s committed to fair districts that reflect the voters, not the desire of politicians to retain power. To restore democracy in Ohio, we need to vote for Chelsea Clark on November 8. Read more.
THIS WEEK
WED 10/19 Brassy Band The Blue Ridge Trombone Quartet transposes music for all sorts of instruments and ensembles to fit their unique sound. They’ll be performing at the University of Akron tonight.
TUE 10/25 Behind the Stories Novelist Barbara Kingsolver hit it big with her 1998 book The Poisonwood Bible, inspired by time she spent living in the Congo as a child. She’ll speak today at University Circle’s Maltz Center.
Eliot Ness was in Cleveland working for the Treasury Department in a relatively low-level job. But he brought his famous name and his unique ability to get his name in the papers to Cleveland. When Burton’s first choice for safety director turned him down, he turned to the 31-year-old Ness to become Cleveland’s “top cop.”All of this and more is described in a new book by Clevelander Daniel Stashower, American Demon – Eliot Ness and the Hunt for America’s Jack the Ripper.
Shashower’s Eliot Ness is not the Robert Stack of the late 1950s TV show or the Kevin Costner of the 1987 movie version of The Untouchables. This Ness is a hard-drinking womanizer who played mean practical jokes and was not a likable person. Read more.
